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Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed [VHS]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED

(UK - 1969)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical soundtrack: Mono

Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) blackmails a young medical student (Simon Ward) and his fiancee (Veronica Carlson) into helping him with a brain transplant which goes horribly wrong.

Following a long period of cheap-looking productions designed to play as double-features on their home turf, Hammer returned to premium quality horror with FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, arguably the company's finest hour, and certainly Peter Cushing's definitive portrayal of the monstrous Baron. Instead of the misguided adventurer depicted in previous films, screenwriter Bert Batt emphasizes the Baron's ruthless pursuit of knowledge and power, culminating in an unexpected sequence in which Cushing's domination of Carlson segues from mere tyranny to rape, a scene which Cushing reportedly found distasteful. Overall, however, Batt's script allows the characters to evolve via a skilfully constructed plot which employs levels of drama and emotion largely absent from much of Hammer's output at the time, alongside the usual elements of horror and suspense. Director Terence Fisher rises to the occasion with remarkable dexterity, orchestrating set-pieces which have been compared to Hitchcock in some quarters, especially the opening sequence in which a petty thief (Harold Goodwin) breaks into the wrong house and has a truly hair-raising confrontation with its volatile owner (leading to a truly great 'reveal'); and the traumatic moment in the back garden of Carlson's boarding house, when she's forced to deal with a corpse (one of Frankenstein's cast-offs) ejected from its makeshift grave by a burst water pipe.

Freddie Jones adds pathos to the proceedings as the helpless victim of Frankenstein's latest experiment, his brain transplanted into another man's body against his will, traumatizing his incredulous wife (Maxine Audley) who refuses to accept his new identity (a scenario echoed by a similar plotline in John Woo's FACE/OFF in 1997). The period decor may look a little cramped and cut-price in places, but this is Hammer/Fisher/Cushing at the very height of their creative powers, and the film is a small masterpiece of British Gothic.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed represents one of Hammer's most delicately crafted productions. Production values are above par. Bert Batt and Anthony Nelson-Keys deliver an excellent script. Arthur Grant's photography, James Bernard's score and Terence Fisher's direction are all exemplary. The talented cast includes Peter Cushing in one of his greatest performances, an amusing Thorley Walters and an early appearance from Freddie Jones, as the screen's most tragic and pitiful Frankenstein's "monster" since Christopher Lee (1957) if not Boris Karloff (1931).

Central to the film is a pervasive irony: The irony of a man whose everyday manners are impeccable and gentlemanly, but whose total contempt for human life will lead him to murder and rape without a second thought; the irony of a man given back life only to be cheated out of the one thing in life he loves. Never is this irony more clearly captured than in the very first scene, in which a lilting ballad accompanies a beheading, or (a few scenes later) the quick cut from Anna's words, "You'll find it very quiet here," to a screaming patient in an insane asylum (a surprisingly effective shock moment).

Baron Frankenstein here is no longer the ambiguous anti-hero of sorts that he was in Hammer's previous Frankenstein outings (excepting The Evil of Frankenstein). In Fisher's Hitchcockian opening sequence the camera follows a pair of black and white shoes, suggesting a certain ambiguity, as they make their way through the Victorian streets, but when the owner of the shoes (having just committed one murder and an attempted murder) tears off his hideous mask, it is revealed to be none other than Frankenstein himself. Now the Baron is clearly the monster, and it is he who must be destroyed.

The Baron here takes on god-like dimensions like never before. In Fisher's series there were always clear allusions to the wrongness of the Baron's attempts to usurp the place of God; here Frankenstein's spiral of descent into degeneracy, tyranny and blasphemy is complete. With great command, he exerts an almost supernatural force over the two young lovers he blackmails into assisting him in his experiment.

The first hint of his demise is towards the end of the film when Karl (Simon Ward) watches him, unbeknownst to the Baron, and discovers his plans, which information he then uses to foil the Baron. Thus for the first time, the shoe is on the other foot: Frankenstein is no longer in control, and his destruction is imminent.

His destruction is one of the film's finest sequences. The shoe really is on the other foot now: "I fancy... that I am the spider and you are the fly," says the creature. Frankenstein is trapped inside a burning house with the police waiting outside. In the words of his creation, he must choose between "the police and the flames." The implication is clear: Even if Frankenstein manages to evade human justice, "the flames" (a symbol of divine judgment) are totally inescapable. In a finale that harks back to Mary Shelley's original novel, the embittered creature himself carries his creator with him to their shared fate.

Other fine sequences include the water-pipe bursting, forcing the cadaver of one of the Baron's victims to resurface, as well as the forceful scene in which Professor Richter, transplanted into the body of Freddie Jones, and hidden behind a screen, pleads with his frightened wife to believe his story.

Don't miss this now it has received a long-awaited DVD release.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is one of the finest in Hammer Horror. This is the fifth of the series with the master horror thespian Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein. The film starts off with a quick little beheading with a scythe, then it's off to the lab. A drunk intruder, looking to burglarize the good doctor, foils Frankenstein's plan forcing him to find other accomodations. He moves into a bed n breakfast and terrorizes a young couple, and blackmails them into doing his bidding. Frankenstein gets the young man to murder, rapes the girl, and steals a colleagues brain, all in the name of science. This is by far the darkest of the Hammer Frankenstein series, and the best. We see that the doctor will stop at nothing to prove a point . Lots of suspense, blood, and lots of the beautiful Veronica Carlson. My only complaint is the reproduction is not the greatest. I only wish Anchor Bay would get off their butts and put ALL the Hammer movies out WIDESCREEN! Seeing a good brain drlling just loses something in pan-n-scan.

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED is the fith entry in the Hammer series, which began with 1957's revolutionary CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Much of the impact of the series can be attributed to the input of director Terence Fisher and star Peter Cushing, and here they are united with stunning results. The story pulls no punches in telling the tale of the Baron, embittered by a string of failed experiemens, who is bent on taking his hatred for humanity out on all those who come into contact with him. Unlike many Fisher-Hammer films, which opt for fairy tale optimism, this film is informed by the nihilistic climate of the late 1960s. Typical for Fisher, the characters and relationships have more depth and complexity than is the norm for a low budget horror film. In fact, the film is more of a drama than anything else, so schlock fans need not apply. A stunning exercise in pathos and suspense, with a brilliant performance by Cushing, and a moving one by Freddie Jones as the pathetic "monster." Highly recommended.

As with the other Hammer Frankenstien films, this entry concentrates more on the creator than the monster(s). This film is the most accoplished in the Hammer Frankenstien series, and one of the best Frankenstien films ever made. Cushing gives his finest performance as the mad doctor, which is saying alot, because all his performances are excellent. Actors like Cushing are rare indeed. Color photography and atmosphere are both top notch as is the excellent screenplay which will hold your interest throughout. No horror libaray would be complete without this movie.

This is with out question Hammer's and Terence Fisher's greatest film-not to menion the best of the hammer frankenstein series. The film is a technical masterpiece, and in subtext one of the most brooding, most powerful horror films of the modern era, a reflecting of the nilihism of society of the late 1960's, coupled with Fisher's genius as a Director (hammers best) and one of the best of the post modern era of horror. Fisher's film is Hitchcock at his best-not to mention Htchcock himself admired this film, it's not ironic both Fisher and Hitchcock were in many ways on par with each other-in similarites. Fisher was a director who never went for flashy camerwork, or complex narratives, he was pure story telling, and while his direction seemed somewhat static, he was a master of composition, an framing--This film alone is a prime example of his dead on framing and his precise editing style and unigue cross cuttings--this is a film in which i believe is perhaps the best Frankenstein film 3rd only to universal's The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and the classic orginal , Frankenstein (1931) Which is enhanced by Peter Cushing's most cold-blooded and best portrayal of the Baron-a man sick and embittered with society-a man who will go on ends to fulfill his scientific desires-even if it means he has to Blackmail, Rape and Kill--This is the begining of the end of the Baron's career. "Buy this movie now!"

Rating: 5 out of 5 Grade: A 95%

This is the Best Of Hammers Frankenstein Series I Liked this because Victor Frankenstein has the right attitude in this movie

he is so obbsessed with his work that he would kill and even RAPE for it "However that Could be Overlooked" also Veronica Carlson is great also I Liked "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave"

because that also has Carlson in it sometimes I air this on my TV as the "Veronica Carlson Double Feature"

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave/Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

She is also in the Cushingless "Horror of Frankenstein"

this is the Best one

The fifth entry in Hammer Productions' "Frankenstein" franchise, FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED again stars Peter Cushing as the malevolent Baron Frankenstein. A boarding house in the heart of the city, owned by lovely Anna Spengler (Veronica Carlson) becomes the setting for the Baron's next experiment in terror. He forces Anna and her young fiancee, Dr. Karl Holst (Simon Ward) to assist him in transplanting the brain of his former partner Dr. Brandt (now a raving lunatic in an asylum) into the body of another unwilling participant, Professor Richtor (Freddie Jones). The operation is carried off without a hitch, and the body of Brandt is buried in the vegetable garden...but when a burst water-main exposes the corpse, Anna and Karl are hurled headlong into a terrifying ordeal where their fates are controlled by the evil Baron.

Cushing's Baron is even more chilling and callous than usual in this entry of the series, and the performances of Veronica Carlson and Simon Ward as the bewildered young lovers are equally fine. Freddie Jones is memorable playing the most sympathatic of Frankenstein's creations.

A Hammer films mainstay, Veronica Carlson would appear in the next sequel ("The Horror of Frankenstein") playing a different character; and also played the ingenue in "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave".

Co-starring Maxine Audley, Collette O'Neal, Thorley Walters, George Pravda, Geoffrey Bayldon and Harold Goodwin. The DVD includes the trailer.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1 (anamorphic)
Single-sided, single-layer disc
Snapper case
Audio: English (mono), French (mono), German (mono)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Dutch, Arabic, Hebrew, Swedish, Greek, Hungarian, English (hearing impaired), German (hearing impaired)

The mad scientist carries on his dark science. Peter Cushing typically appears in Hammer flicks as a benevolent professor type. Dr. Frankenstein is portrayed frequently as well intentioned, but misunderstood. This time, the doctor pursues his research with relentless malice. Brutal murder, blackmail, and even rape befall those in his way. Cushing's cold-blooded and vicious portrayal is really a change of pace. To those who picture the old Boris Karloff version of Frankenstein's monster, this version of the story goes off in yet another direction. Instead of a hulking creature with neck bolts terrorizing torch-bearing villagers, we have the hapless victim of a brain transplant. Dr. Brandt, an associate of Frankenstein's, is the unfortunate person whose brain is now in another body. Not happy with this development, he decides to foil Frankenstein. The large cranial scar is grotesque, but he is otherwise human. The script and director blend pathos with shock appeal. The subplot of the young couple who is forced to assist Frankenstein serves as an excuse for most of the subterfuge of the story. Expect a lot of running around and hiding from the police. Simon Ward and the delectable Veronica Carlson make it endurable. Carlson's appearance in a diaphanous nightgown drives Frankenstein from research to rape and beyond. Thorley Walters provides timely comic relief as a pompous police official. The usual Hammer production values of rich color photography and 19th century European settings are present. Genre fans and collectors should be pleased. It's a change of pace from the mad-slasher type horror flick. ;-)

The first night I ever babysat, this movie came on TV. I will never forget how scared I was. The worst moment was when a water main broke under the back garden, where the body was buried, and the lifeless hand and arm came up through the dirt, flopping upwards thanks to the powerful spray of water. And then, of course, the sweet young lady has to go out and pull the body out of the mud and into a shed while the waterworks men are pounding on the gate, to get in. What a great movie!